Lock and guard for knives



' Dec. 4 1923.

W. F. WATSON LOCK AND GUARD FOR KNIVES Filed Oct. 20. 1921 Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

UNITED STAT TNT M WILLIAM F. WATSON, or CLEAN, new YORK, ASSIGNOR To UNION CUTLERY C01VI PANY, 1110., or CLEAN, NEW YORK, a oonrone'rron or new YORK.

LOCK AND GUARD FOR KNIVES.

Application filed October 20, 1921. Seria1"No.'508,987

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. WATSON, citizen of the United States, residing at Olean. in the county of Cattaraugus and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks and Guards for Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in jack knives and has for one of its objects the provision of a device for securely locking the blade, when the knife is open, and another object is to so shape the locking device, that it constitutes a guard for the users hand, this guard being in the shape of a cross handle. r

In the accompanying drawing, in which two embodiments of the invention are illustrated:

Figure 1 shows a jack knife in open position with my improved guard and lock installed,

Figure 2 is a side view of the knife closed.

7 Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the handle and the blade when the knife is half open, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side view of a modified form of the look. a

The reference numeral denotes the handle for the knife and 11 the blade, which is hinged in the handle bolster on a pin 12, in the usual manner, so as to fold snugly within the handle when the knife is closed. The blade is actuated by a spring along the back of the handle to hold it either open or closed, in the usual manner.

Near the back of the blade is hinged, as at 13, a pair of locking members 14, one on each side of the blade. aS best seen in Figure 3 of the drawing. These locking members each have a shoulder 15 which is adapted to engage with a lug 16 provided at the for-' ward end of the bolster 0n the handle- 10. The relative positions of the hinge 13, pin 12, and lug 16, are such that, when the blade is being opened, the locking members 14 can pass over the ends of the lugs 16 without hindrance. The length of the locking members 14 is greater than the width of the handle 10 so that the ends of the locking members protrude considerably beyond the back and front of the handle when the knife is open, thereby providing a guard. With members fit closely along the square endof the handle. blade is rigidly locked in its open position It will thus be seen that the i V and cannot be folded again untilthe rear .7

ends of the locking members 14 are pressed downward or the front'ends thereof pushed upward to disengage the lug 16, after which the blade 11 can be folded into the handle. Referring to vFigure 2, it will be seen that the height and length of the locking members 14 are such that they fold snugly along the front side of the handle ,10 while they at no point protrude beyond the back of the blade 11'. 1

The knife is opened in the usualmanner by gripping the handle with one hand and the blade with the other so as to draw them apart, when the locking members 14 will swing with the blade and snap 'intoposition when the blade is fully open. The knife, as has already been describechis again closed by lifting the locking members out of en? gagement withthe lugs 16 and pressing on the back of the-blade 11, when it will snap into closed position, actuated by the spring in the handle. Instead of providing two I 1 looking members 14, I may provide only one on one side of the blade. or join-the two members together at one end to form a solid lever.

A; slightly modified form of my lock and guard is indicated in Figure 4 0f the drawing. In'this case I provide one or both of the locking members 20 with a lug 21, hinged v as before at 19 on the blade 11. This lug is intended to engage in the notch 22, provided at theend of the bolster 23 of the handle 10, when the knife is open and in this manner hold the blade rigid. A suitable notch 24 is the invention, what.

encasing handle having a bolster,-a bladepivoted to the handle bolster, a locking member pivoted upon the side of the blade and adjacent the end of the bolster and adapted to engage With a corresponding adapted to lie against the front side of the shoulder on said locking member therebysehandle in dosed p' )"sition of "the blade and cufel ylocking the parts when the blade is in across the end of the bolster in open posiopen position.

5 tion of the blade With the ends projecting In testimonywhereof I aflix my signa- 7 beyond the front and back of the bolster, ture.

and a projecting lug on the end of-the bolster, WILLIAM F. WATSON.- [L. s.] 

